has given his attention to public objects, designed to advance science, the arts, commercial intercourse, the dissemination of useful knowledge, and to facilitate the practical labors of the departments. Few men have accomplished as much in these important respects as he has done, in the course of four years' Congressional service; and he has laid the foundations of good that will mature gradually hereafter, as views and suggestions, truly enlightened, and worthy a practical republican people and government, shall be brought to the popular consideration and action of Congress."* Representing a portion of the great agricultural State of New-York-from his youth taught to look upon the farming interest as the paramount pursuit in this country, and coming from a district where a very large proportion of the inhabitants find their profession, their pleasures and profits in the noble employment of cultivating the soil, it must be supposed that the practical and utilitarian mind of Col. Pratt would dedicate a due share of its attention to the interests of agriculture. He originated the proposition, which was finally adopted by Congress, providing for the introduction, through our consuls and national vessels, of foreign seeds and plants, and for their gratuitous distribution to all portions of the country, through the medium of the patent office. The beneficial effects of this measure have already begun to be appreciated. In 1842, Col. Pratt delivered an address before the Mechanic's Institute at Catskill, replete with excellent sentiments; and in 1845, at the great fair of the Greene County Agricultural Society at Cairo, he delivered an address which, had we the space to allow it, we would gladly spread before the readers of the Review. Few productions of the kind ever received more general commendation or a wider circulation. Colonel Pratt's services in Congress were eminently practical. Placed upon the committee on Public Buildings, * Albany Argus. in 1837. he made himself thoroughly acquainted with all the details connected with the subject, and was soon prepared with a mass of information, which had an influence upon the action of that body. In 1839, he presented a report upon the quality of the different materials used in the construction of the public buildings at Washingtonurging the policy and eventual economy of substituting marble or granite for the fragile and porous sandstone hitherto used. He demonstrated the propriety of the change with such force as to break down the opposition to the white marble, of which he proposed that the new General Post Office building should be constructed. "It is to the untiring perseverance of this gentleman, (said the Washington Globe,) that we are mainly indebted for this beautiful specimen of the mechanic arts." And it may truly be said that this beautiful edifice, unsurpassed by anything of the kind in the world, is his monument. Upon investigating the condition of the several departments, Col. Pratt found that the buildings now used by the War and Navy Departments are totally inadequate to the wants of the government, showing a state of things which no good business man would suffernot a single fire-proof building among them-at the same time a surplus in the treasury. His report upon that subject shows that these departments were at that time actually renting ninety-four private rooms in the city of Washington, at an annual expense of some $6000, for the accommodation of the different bureaux, which could not find room in the present Executive buildings. He proposed, therefore, that the evil, and the danger of loss to the public archives, should be remedied by the erection of new edifices for those departments, corresponding in style and convenience to the General Post Office. The necessity of these buildings is apparent to every one, and sooner or later Col. Pratt's suggestions will be carried out.f As an illustration of the perseverance of Col. Pratt, when he has any useful object in view, it may be mentioned, that when he urged his proposition for building anew the War and Navy Departments, a Southern member of distinguished ability and influence, who was opposed to the bill, objected, because, he said, the committee had not submitted with their report the necessary plans and estimates. Col. Pratt reminded the gentleman that his objection must fall to the ground, as the plan and estimates were before the House; and taking them from the clerk's desk, he exhibited them to the objecting member; and the House, laughing at his Of the cheap postage reform, Col. Pratt was one of the earliest advocates, moving a resolution to that effect, in 1838; and the information and statistics which he brought to bear upon the question, contributed in no small degree to the ultimate success of the measure. He submitted a valuable report on the improvement of the public grounds at Washington, together with a beautiful design for a National Monument to Washington. He proposed to aid the Washington Monument Society, who have now a fund exceeding $50,000, by giving them the proceeds of the sales of certain vacant and unproductive lots in the city, which can never be needed for the public use. He advocated with a hearty zeal the remission of the fine paid by the patriot JACKSON, and presented a table showing the overwhelming voice by which the people, through their legislative bodies, had demanded this act of justice to the Hero of NewOrleans. In both Congresses of which he was a member, Col. Pratt was an earnest advocate of, and introduced the bill for the establishment of a Branch Mint in NewYork, the commercial emporium of the country, where seven-tenths of the revenue are collected, and into which city a large portion of the importation of foreign coin is brought. We present (said he) the singular anomaly of a republican government forcing its citizens to be anti-American in coin-a greater portion of our specie circulation being in foreign money. The fund which has arisen from the fees for patents issued at Washington, now amounts to nearly $150,000.Col. Pratt introduced a resolution to provide for the publication and engraving of all the important inventions patented at Washington, for the purpose of having copies of those works distributed to every town throughout the country, for the information of the people. Another resolution, of great practical importance, introduced by Col. Pratt, and adopted by Congress, was that which requires an inventory of the public property in the hands of the public agents, to be made out once in two years, and reported to Congress. The cost of the Custom-House establishment early attracted Col. Pratt's attention, and he caused to be prepared at the Treasury, a statement, exhibiting the amount of duties accruing upon merchandize, and duties upon tonnage, together with the cost of collection, so compiled as to represent the amounts and cost, by states and territories, for each year, from the foundation of the government to 1843. From the document thus prepared, it appears that the whole amount of revenue collected in the United States, from imports and tonnage, from 1789 to the 30th June, 1843, was nine hundred and forty-five millions, seven hundred and fifty-three thousand, two hundred and fifteen dollars; and that the cost of collecting this amount of revenue, was forty millions, four hundred and thirtyfive thousand, six hundred and ninetytwo dollars. But the great measure to which Colonel Pratt directed his attention, and urged upon that of Congress, was the establishment of a Bureau of Statistics. In every enlightened nation of modern times (said he) except ours, the government has given especial attention to this subject. England has her Board of Trade; France, her Bureau de Commerce; Austria, her Statistical Bureau; the States of the German Customs' League have committed the subject to persons every way competent to the charge; and the efforts of the Russian Government to collect statistical information from every part of that immense empire, are worthy of all praise. The United States seem to have been working their way in the dark, or at least with uncertain and partial lights, derived from isolated objections, immediately passed the bill. Before the inauguration of Mr. POLK, Col. Pratt urged the House for an appropriation to provide new furniture for the Presidential Mansion. The old curtains and furniture were worn and shabby. The House seemed reluctant to respond, when Col. Pratt took the responsibility of ordering a new suit of curtains to be furnished, telling the upholsterer that if Congress did not pay the bill he would. The thing was done. A few days after, a Southern member complained of Col. Pratt that he had acted without authority. The Colonel promptly replied that he had ordered the curtains on his own authority, and if objections were made from any quarter, he should pay for them from his own funds. And he would respectfully ask the objecting member if he had ever done as much for his country as that? The laugh was turned upon the member, and the appropriation asked for was passed. facts, or statements hastily gathered by incompetent men, or from erroneous or unauthentic sources. It was right to expect that so palpable a deficiency would attract the attention of the business portion of the National Legislature, and that measures would be taken to supply it. Col. Pratt, in January, 1844, moved the preparatory inquiry, through a select committee; and on 8th March presented a luminous report in favor of the establishment of the Bureau, with a bill prescribing its organization, duties, &c. The report was accompanied by several elaborate statistical tables, illustrating the plan of the proposed bureau, and the mode of rendering efficient and serviceable its operations. The public press throughout the Union was unanimous, and the community appeared to be equally so, in favor of the plan. The only step, however, which Col. Pratt could induce Congress to take, was to provide, by joint resolution, for the transfer of three clerks, and their employment upon this service, in connection with one of the bureaux of the Treasury Department. Insufficient as this half-way measure is, it is gratifying to know that one step has been taken towards the accomplishment of this truly great national object. Even this small beginning, if competent men be placed in charge, will ere long furnish proof of the importance, economy, and great practical utility of the proposed meas ure. We hope to see the outline of Col. Pratt's plan filled up in every particular, and the bureau rendered every way competent to meet the great purposes of its establishment. It would, doubtless, be the means of saving millions to the country. To We regret that we have not room to follow out in detail the various important measures brought forward by Col. Pratt while in Congress. do so, and do justice to him, would require a volume. The accompanying list of reports, which he made to the 28th Congress, will give some idea of his indefatigable industry; they cover more than a thousand pages. At the close of that Congress, Col. Pratt declined a re-election, in a very able address to his constituents, rendering a faithful account of his stewardship;* and is now engaged in the business of a banker at Prattsville. He is still in the prime of life, enjoying unbroken health, and full of mental and bodily vigor, and has every prospect of living to achieve much good, as he possesses both the power and the will so to do. It may be said of him, that the great object of his life has been practical usefulness. He desired to leave the world something better than he found it. He has been eminently successful in all his enterprises—has preserved a character spotless for integrity and honor-and in the relations of a neighbor and friend has no superior. As a citi * "In those matters of legislation relating to the country at large, in which I have borne a part, the PRACTICALLY USEFUL, however I may have come short of it, has been my constant aim. And in estimating what was or would be practically useful, I have looked to the fature as well as to the present. I have thought that, in a country like ours, which may be said as yet hardly to have commenced its career, no legislation could be wise which did not look to the future, provide for its probable wants, take care of its apparent interests, and ward off its apparent dangers. Politically democratic, elected by democrats, and firmly believing that the principles and policy of the democratic party are in strict accordance with the nature of our institutions, and best calculated to secure our liberty and promote our prosperity, the journals will show that, in the four years of my services, that policy and those principles have never lacked my sanc tion or my support. "Believing also that I was bound to serve you faithfully as well as usefully, I have endeavored as far as possible to devote my whole time to the duties of a station which I owed to your kindness. I have considered myself as the servant of the people, and bound in honor and in conscience to labor as diligently as every good and faithful servant' should. Hence, during the four years and as many sessions, in which I have had the honor to be your repre sentative, I have never, even for a single day, been absent from my post and my duty. I feel, therefore, whatever may have been my other faults, that indolence or negligence has not been among their number. Wrong I may have done; mistaken I may have been; but I have never neglected to do. In short, I have been governed by the same rules in attending to your business which have ever governed me in regard to my own. Many of you know full well the difficulties which I have encountered and overcome in establishing among the hemlock forests of the Catskill mountains one of the largest tanneries and thriftiest villages of which our state can boast. Many of you also know that I commenced this task only some twenty years ago, and with little other capital or aid than were to be found in industry, perseverance, and a proper devotion to that useful though homely maxim-Be always sure you're right, then go ahead.'"-Extract from Col. Pratt's Address, March 5, 1845. zen, he has done much for the public good, and as a sound, practical, unswerving democrat, has never been found wanting. In selecting the founder of Prattsville as the subject of this memoir, we have been actuated by a desire to do merited honor to that noble and enterprising spirit, which marks the characteristic of the man, and to spread before the rising generation of our great and happy country, the benefits of his example. He stands out in bold relief, first making his fortune in active business, and then aiding in the councils of his country, and of him it was said, none more useful. History is said to be philosophy teaching by example, and history after all is but the records of the deeds of men. The life of the hero, who has led conquering armies, may be written, and while every one may honor his bravery not one in a million can hope to benefit from his example. The lives of statesmen, of poets, and philosophers, what are they, unless they show something practical to the world, something true and tangible, adapted to the feelings and pursuits of the masses? The life of one practical man, like FRANKLIN, or WHITNEY, SLATER, or FULTON, is worth more than all the Greek and Roman heroes that ever existed. These men became world-renowned, because they possess ed, in an eminent degree, true energy, which, after all, is one of the chief elements of greatness. Their characters were self-formed-they rose from the masses, and as you follow them step by step, you see how they rose gradually to distinction; how the benefits they at last conferred on mankind grew up to perfection in the school of early trial, self-reliance, and never-failing energy. We have the best of all authority for saying, that "Faith without Works is dead." If this be true in spiritual things, it is equally true in temporal. The world is full of visionaries, and accounts of visionary men; but how little is written of the useful, practical, energetic, common-sense man. We regard the career of ZADOCK PRATT as in many respects a remarkable one, and therefore we have chosen him for the subject of this memoir. If it be asked, what has he done? we might almost be disposed to answer by asking, what has he not done that the young men of the country should emu late? If we look back to his youth, we see him toiling to aid his parents, then the faithful apprentice to a saddler, always diligent, trusty and true. We see him as he approached manhood exhibiting the energy and perseverance which have marked his character through life. As the business man, we in see with what sterling integrity, admirable judgment and sagacity, always successful, from little to much, his affairs were conducted; how he breasted, himself to every emergency, relying upon his own resolute heart and never idle hand, and the blessing of God, who has promised to help those who help themselves. We have seen him toiling for a competence that he might do good, aiding others as he went along. We have seen with what courage he could endure the severest labors and exposures, even sleeping upon the snow, pursuit of objects which he deemed essential to his prosperity and future usefulness. Conceiving the plan of establishing a great tannery, we see him plunging into the deep forests on the Catskill, and choosing with admirable judgment a location for his works, which is unrivalled, and can never again be equalled. This great establishment, under his auspices and persevering energy, we have seen grow up to be the largest of the kind in the world. Not only so, but we have seen this humble, pains-taking, laboring mechanic, almost with a magician's wand, erect a beautiful and prosperous town, in every public building and religious institution of which are seen the marks of his liberality. We have seen him building his hundred houses-the poor boy, whose first money was earned in picking huckle-berries upon the Catskill Mountains. When he came to settle in the little valley where the village now stands, he told the few inhabitants that he came to live among them, not upon them. He has kept good his word. He has accumulated a large fortune, never by impeding, but rather aiding the course of others-never pulling down any man, and without ever making a single enemy of any honorable man. It has been said, that one of the best governors who ever ruled in Massachusetts, was an uneducated man. He was practical and sound in his views; knew the rights of the people, and re spected thein; knew their wants, and, as far as possible, provided for them. To him belongs the glory of first introducing free schools into that colony. Col. Pratt, though enjoying no advantages of early education, is not insensible to its importance, and has always been the fast friend and liberal patron of schools and institutions of learning, morality and religion. As a military man, we have seen him ever the friend of the soldier, and standing up nobly for the soldier's rights, and always the favorite of his company or regiment. We have seen him as the magistrate and supervisor respected, and horored as the choice for the people for elector of President and Vice-President, and twice elected, with uncommon unanimity, to the Congress of the United States. In that great body, we have seen him nobly sustain his character of the WORKING MAN, earning the respect of all parties, and having the most entire confidence of his own. In short, we have seen him fill with distinguished ability the three positions of Farmer, Banker, and Legislator. Well, then, may it be said of him, that no man did more for the good of the people; and when the judgment of the country shall be pronounced on his labors, it will be shown that no man originated so many great and important measures, whether we regard them in the light of economy, or of their ultimate effect upon the interests of legis lation and of the people. We have seen that he labored in this great field, as he has always done, for the true interests of the farmer and mechanic, and for the working classes generallyproving himself equal to his business, and never above it, here or elsewhere. As the light and vivifying rays of the sun bring forth the early blossoms and rich fruits of the earth, scattering plenty and blessings around—so may it truly be said, that the HONEST MAN, who determines to be useful, and perseveres against whatever obstacle, giving employment to, and aiding the efforts of those around him, is the almoner of God's bounty to his fellow men. And it is no deterioration of the merits of the hero, the statesman, or the politician, to say, that the straightforward USEFUL MAN, upright, energetic, and liberal, is the noblest of them all-" an honest man's the noblest work of God." Such a man is ZADOCK PRATT; and his examples of industry and fidelity, perseverance and public spirit, as well as generosity, we would recommend to the observation of the youth of our land. Of him it may be truly said, when we review his plain, unostentatious and honorable career-marked by liberality in thought and deed-that he is one of "Nature's Noblemen"-an architect of his own fortunes-and truly a MAN OF THE People. Memorandum of Reports submitted to the House of Representatives during the 28th Congress, by the Hon. Zadock Pratt. March 7, 1844. No. 286.-Negative report on the application of the Mayor of Washington, for a public clock, to be placed upon the Patent Office. March 7, 1844. No. 267.-Report on the public buildings and grounds, showing the condition of the Executive Departments, and the importance of providing additional accommodations for the War and Navy Departments. March 8, 1844. No. 301.-Report on the establishment of a Bureau of Statistics and Commerce, submitting a plan for its efficient organization, accompanied by elaborate statistical tables, illustrating the great importance of the proposed measure. May 24, 1844. No. 516.-Report on the practicability of making alterations in the Hall of the House of Representatives. May 25, 1844. No. 515-Report on the expenditures since 1800, in the District of Columbia. The facts embodied in this report are exceedingly interesting. They show all the items of expenditure, the whole amounting, on the 3d March, 1843, to $10,032,425. The Capitol, including the statuary and paintings, cost about $3,000,000; the President's house and Treasury building, each $700,000; the Patent Office, and General Post Office, each $500,000, in round numbers. All the public property in Washington is exempt from city taxes. Besides the public edifices there, the government owns in President's square, 83 acres; Capitol square and Mall, 227 acres; Park, 29 acres; and in other squares, 202 acres; besides 1582 lots in various parts of the city, valued in 1844, at $182,000. |